Tales of the Phoenix
by Reknownst
Summary: A collection of short stories deisgned to give some insights into the less depicted portions of Phoenix
1. Chapter 1

_**Summary: The Battle at Ecruteak ended in disaster and a body count incomprehensible nor unforgettable. Virgil, being the only survivor left from his band of friends finds that he's not alone in this pain or endeavor.**_

* * *

 _ **Blackthorn City, 2 days after Ecruteak**_

Crimson orange burned into his eyes. Virgil grumbled lowly, shielding his eyes in annoyance. Sunsets made Virgil had been making him sick in recent days. Virgil could only frown numbly at the thought. He had always secretly been fond of the things even. It was one of the few things he had taken to appreciating even in his self-inflicted isolation.

Things were still too fresh, too recent for him to think clearly, or at all for that matter. From Viola to Whitney, every single one of them had been burned into his mind. It was impossible for Virgil to even fathom how there could be so much blood in _one place._ It also lead him back to the single question of how in the world did things come to the way they had? How was it that a boy from a different timeline or wherever he had come from do so much damage? Why did _he_ have to be the one to bring him here?

Virgil cleared his throat and shook his head.

"None of them said it was my fault..." It was a low mumble, and a hollow excuse even to himself. "They said, _ **Viola**_ said that it was just a coincidence..." Virgil sighed sullenly. He had never quite gotten over how Jaret had made an embarrassment out of him at the Silver Conference, and that had been just last year. His team had seemed premier to him, but Jaret had deemed otherwise. It was almost comical that something so small had bothered him so deeply, especially when that same person grew into one of his closest friends.

It was like a strange foreshadowing in hindsight.

Johto had faded away into obscurity as well. Mere hours after Marus had slew the Phoenix and rode off with Juliet, Johto had been struck with calamity, and the entire region had been engulfed in chaos and horrific storm floods. As far as he knew, everything he had known was gone. Blackthorn was the only city protected enough to survive the whole ordeal, and having to remain there for a short was all the more worse.

Maria had even provided hospitality to him, and offered to let him gain his bearings after everything. Oddly enough, after Ecruteak had fallen, there was very little news or traces of Marus, Juliet or Jaret. Virgil had expected Marus to begin his chaos the moment he reached Sinnoh, Then again, there was no telling what could've possibly happened to delay them.

Virgil sat idle in his normal perch, sitting on the roof of the Day family mansion. The twin servants, Emmi and Emma would periodically visit from time to time, though they largely watched him with scorn. To them, it was his fault everything had happened.

As if everything wasn't already his fault already.

But he had tried. He really, really tried.

And the only person that Virgil had to show for any of that effort was Victoria, the same that had dismantled his team without even blinking and the one that had left Juliet and himself reeling with disbelief. She was the one that came to him. She was "on his side" as she had put it. Even so, since he had stepped foot into Blackthorn, he hadn't seen even the slightest trace of her. It made sense when he thought about it. She had attacked the place with Marus. Even after all this time, the people of Blackthorn still mourned one of their elders, and one of the best trainers Virgil had ever seen.

The thought of Will lead Virgil back to Seria, which brought him back to Juliet and everyone else. It seemed like he just couldn't get away.

"I know what you're thinking about over there..." Victoria's voice gave him a slight start, but he kept still. Virgil wasn't quite sure if he could look at her. He felt her stroll up nearer, almost directly behind him, though she appeared in the corner of his eye, filling the space next to him.

"Why would I think of anything else," was Virgil's morbid response. Victoria didn't respond, and Virgil figured quickly that she had the same thoughts on her mind also.

"Do you believe me at all?" Virgil frowned at her question.

"I'd be more certain to believe anything now. You're talking to a person who pretty much screwed the world over..."

"Then that means I helped you do it." Virgil grunted. "Marus used you to get out and I helped him after that."

"All because you wanted to turn back time and have Ryuu to yourself." He turned to Victoria, expecting a glare. Her face was mostly plain littered with traces of resignation. She cast her eyes away, looking over the mansion's edge.

"Not just for me, but for—"

"Cody too," Virgil finished for her. "I know I know..." Silence.

"But still, I gave up so much just for the thought of getting my family back together. I guess..." She stopped for a moment. To Virgil, she looked unsure if how to proceed, more than likely thinking of a way to lessen her guilt. "I guess I never really quite stopped to think if Marus would ever _actually_ give me what I wanted..." Virgil made a face.

"What's that face for?"

"Nothing." He could feel Victoria glaring at him now.

"You think I'm bullshitting don't you?"

"Don't worry about it."

"You really think I'd help Marus if I knew he was going to kill Ryuu and Cody?" Virgil's expression tightened.

"That's bullshit," was all he said murmured really. "You really think _I'd_ believe you when you say you didn't know? Marus was unpredictable! Changed personalities whenever he felt like it, and _attacked_ you for christ sake. You mean to tell me you held out hope that he'd 'grant your wish' with Ho-Oh's power?" For a moment, Virgil was angry, but it had wilted away impressively quickly, and he sighed, turning back to the ruins of Blackthorn.

And then, he dodged to his left, sliding away from Victoria expertly as he fist swung overhead where he had been sitting. He refocused his eyes back onto her, and was almost brought to a morose kind of inner laughter when he saw that Victoria stared back at him, unflinching.

"You wouldn't really want to start a fight here, in Blackthorn, would you?" Victoria frowned.

"What you said isn't funny..." Virgil glared.

"I wasn't trying to be. I was being serious. Besides, if we started a fight here, you would lose, probably even die. Blackthorn hates you, Victoria."

"I know that." Her body relaxed a bit. "It's a little wild that Maria has enough influence to keep Blackthorn from raising mobs to try and kill me." She gave a pessimistic chuckle, but Virgil's frown remained in place. He eyed her closely as she sat back down, ushering him to sit next to her. He obliged.

"She did it at my request. I'm sure she wouldn't have the slightest problem with letting Blackthorn torture you to death. She might be Seria's mom, but there's...something not quite right about her."

"The two of them aren't too different if you think about it." Virgil scoffed.

"They're splitting images and thats about it."

"Seria was a lot like her. She was just...softer."Virgil raised an inquisitive brow.

"You really think so? Sounds like you know quite a bit about Seria's mom. What's the deal with that? Did you try to steal from her back in your thieving days?"

"I did, actually." Virgil felt his jaw drop in shock.

"You did? Did you steal anything?" It was Victoria's turn to scoff.

"Of course not. She sent me running home with a bunch of scratches and cuts. Hell. She didn't even have to use a Pokemon to teach me a lesson." Victoria let out a hollow laugh, but was quick to huddle herself together, her face half covered by her knees.

"You really are sorry aren't you?" It wasn't the best thing to say when he thought about it, but it was probably the only thing Virgil could have thought to say; Victoria furrowed her brow a bit, reminding Virgil that silence was always an option too.

"..Thanks. For all of this I mean."

"For not letting Blackthorn massacre you?" She turned to Virgil with cold eyes, both familiar and a little bit foreign. Virgil was still getting used to Victoria's actual face; most of the time she had been smirking in belittlement. Being brought so low was without a doubt more than a wake-up call for her. She nodded.

"Is it because of the information I had?" Virgil shook his head. "Is it because I'm strong?"

"Don't worry about it." He turned to her. "I got my reasons for doing what I'm doing." Virgil stood up then, with a bit of a struggle and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. His stubble had grown a little, and it felt rough against his fingers. In fact, Virgil had grown quite a bit of hair, giving him a beard and such a shift that he seemed older than he actually was.

"What are you thinking about now?" Virgil shrugged at Victoria's questions.

"Things..." They both knew what that translated into. "But let's worry about everything later. We're both exhausted..."

"We've been here for an entire day," Victoria murmured. "...But I won't argue with you..." Victoria's ginger response had displaced Virgil a bit and Virgil had to remind himself that he was speaking with a different Victoria entirely.

 _She seems so much more...numb,_ he thought.

"To be fair," Virgil snapped to attention. "I'd prefer it if we leave quickly. I don't know how much longer you could actually mediate all of this."

"Yeah," Virgil replied. "We'll leave tomorrow. I just wanted to have just a little bit of rest..." Virgil turned away. "But I'm going to head down though. Maria did say that the twins were preparing dinner."

* * *

If sitting at the dining room table made Virgil uncomfortable, then he could only imagine how Victoria may have felt. The three of them sat at the table, the smaller one actually, and put them all in close proximity to each other, and Virgil couldn't help but be aware of Maria's restrained hostility, or Victoria guilty conscious.

"I've heard much about you, Victoria," was Maria's start, and it was deceptively calm and inviting. Virgil made sure to note on Maria's acting abilities.

"I'm sure they were quite the stories..." Maria nodded.

"Thieving from a very young age, yes?" Victoria nodded curtly, a little timidly, and the gesture made Virgil feel a little bad for her. Maria picked at the girl from there on skillfully, doggedly and effectively. Most of Maria's conversation topics had been aiming at Victoria's past and the ins and outs of her thievery, and with sporadic hints of Ryuu. Maria was ruthless.

But Victoria remained courteous, if not numb. The girl had been curt and respectful and beyond apologetic in her mannerisms and body language.

It made Virgil hurt for her even more. He tuned back into Maria's questioning again, albeit at a poor time.

"Stealing from Opelucid City is really impressive, and I'm sure you actually made quite a bit of money." Victoria let off a nervous smile, one that Virgil caught.

"Help me out Virgil!" it seemed to say. Virgil went to change the subject but Maria saw through them both, and the next question left even Virgil bewildered.

"There were two of you at Blackthorn the first time. What happened to the little boy?" Virgil froze. He was almost too terrified to look at Victoria's face, but he looked anyway.

The hurt was visible in Victoria's face, and she swallowed hard, as if to prepare herself. Her voice came out slow, and staggered.

"H-he's...not with me...at the moment..." Victoria's voice was shaking a bit, Maria continued falsely concerned.

"Oh...? From what I've heard, you two were like siblings? Did he decide to go his own way?" Victoria found that she couldn't speak then, and Virgil was certain that Maria had seen the tears forming . Victoria stood to her feet immediately.

"I'm sorry, but I'll have to excuse myself from this dinner. I appreciate all of your hospitality, Miss Day."

Then she bowed and sped her way away from the dining room. Victoria was hurting horribly, and Virgil was unaware of how much it hurt him to watch that until that moment. He turned to Maria, stale-faced, but respectful.

"Was that...really necessary?" Maria sighed, a bit of an accepting smile forming at the sides of her lips.

"No, it wasn't. And breaking a girl so young is definitely not worth my time but..." Virgil braced himself.

"Don't let my elegance fool you. I can be a real bitch. Virgil gawked at that for a moment, but Maria was quick to shoo him away. "I'm offering you hospitality to you. You know as well as I do that I would rather have her killed or beaten to death, but you requested that I help you both, so I did..." she leaned in closely. "But still, I want her out of my house as quickly as possible." Virgil nodded obediently and quickly shuffled away. He had always had a feeling that Maria was intimidating, but he never thought that she'd be so _terrifying_. Virgil made sure to make a mental note of that as well.

* * *

Victoria was used to being cold, to being treated like a villain and was used to _being_ the villain. She had learned a long time ago how to kill in cold blood and how to make herself and others less than human. She made room for nothing else aside from Cody and herself.

Until she had met Ryuu. Once that happened, everything else became a cascade of feeling, a whirlpool that she was entirely foreign to. Ryuu had been her first everything and it had crushed her when he left. All of the time spent searching for him and tracking him down she had spent in anger and frustration. She had rarely cried about it, but when she did, it was always in frustration.

Victoria had forgot what it was like to actually cry from being wounded on such a level, forgot what it was like to cry from sheer sadness. And it hurt far more than anything she could remember.

But Victoria was used to being the villain.

She was used to being hated by others.

Used to being the "Monster" of a thief she had come to be known.

But it had been Maria's barbed comments, intentional attack and dismantling that had brought her to tears, and hurt her more than Marus's cut into her shoulder, more than Connor and Ryuu slamming her on her back in sparring matches, more than her ankle that had once been broken.

Victoria had seen the despondence in Maria's eyes when she had first opened the mansion door, seen it even as she had found it in herself to treat her with hospitality, no matter how distant it may have been. But Victoria could also see a similar pain to hers. The Blackthorn Elder that Marus had killed had been her Ryuu.

"I deserve it," she murmured to herself. "I was too busy hiding my own pain...I never wanted anyone to go through what I did..." Victoria wanted to scream. In hindsight, how many people had she stepped on? How many "Ryuus" had she taken from other people? How many people had she placed in the same kind of pain that she had been trying to avoid, or fix by force?

It was ironic when she thought about it. Since Marus had disappeared with Juliet, Victoria had found herself questioning "Why". She was so fixated on Ryuu, destroying numerous other lives with Marus just to get her "revenge" or whatever it was from Ryuu, only to be betrayed and discarded, placed right back to where she had started.

Except this time, Ryuu had died. He was dead and gone, and all of the chaos she had caused to get to him was all for nothing. In fact, Ryuu was actually just another human being, just like her, or Seria or Virgil. It was just that Victoria had made the choice to make him her world, and tried so desperately to make him love her again when he had moved on from her. He had told her he took responsibility for what she had become.

That made sense too. How could he not? She and Cody had basically been his wards, he had looked after them with the utmost care. To see her spiral out of control because of his leaving could only point to him.

 _No._

That was too one-sided, Victoria decided. Ryuu had left her, his reasoning being that he wanted her to "see what she was becoming", and the more she thought on it, the more Victoria came to realize she knew what she had been doing the whole time, she had deluded herself into blaming Ryuu for everything that happened to her.

She had simply made the choice to become that way.

She had made the choice to make him her world, and in turn, made the choice to ruin everyone else's lives. It frustrated and drained her knowing that she had really came to accept this after the fact. Perhaps that was the biggest reason for her being so crestfallen, so...empathic and sensitive now,

"Ugh...look at you," she murmured again to herself, almost laughing between her sniffles. "Crying because handling everything at once is too much..." Victoria turned to look at herself in the room mirror. Her eyes were puffy and red , her black hair was sleek and straight, a world a part from the disheveled mess from traveling with Marus. She had traded in her ripped attire for something a little more reminiscent of Ryuu, and instead donned standard jeans and a dark shirt. A violet vest sat over the it, like the one Ryuu used to wear.

It was funny to her, and even more ironic. There she was, wearing Ryuu's colors, as if they were still a couple, or something like that. No. Instead, it was more of a commemoration to his memory. There were so many good times between the two of them, and their little family. She had tried so hard to chase them and make them happen.

Her tears had all dried up now, and she was left with red eyes and slight sniffling. She only wished that Ryuu were still there. Victoria did love him after all, but even so, she wished that he could be there, even as just her friend. She wished she could've shown him her newfound growth now, and her understanding of what it was he had been trying to teach her this whole time.

 _I wish I had been smarter..._

There was a rap at the room door, and Virgil voice carried after it.

"Hey, Victoria, You okay...?"

"Y-Yeah..." Her voice was still a little bit staggered, and little shaky." She sniffled as Virgil opened the door.

"W-whoa...Victoria...were you—" She flashed him a genuine smile, and it was the strangest feeling in her face she had felt in a long time, right there next to her first actual kiss with Ryuu.

"Don't say it." She wiped her eyes and looked back at Virgil, who had what Victoria could only describe as the dumbest face of shock she had ever seen. She sniffled, then laughed. "Don't look at me like that..."

"Are you okay...? I...knew what Maria was doing and—"

"It hurt a lot," Victoria interceded. "It hurt a lot...but...I think it was something I needed..."

"Something you needed? She pretty much broke you down with everything that's happened. And I don't care who it is, I don't want to see _anyone_ go through something like that."

Victoria nodded. "Yeah...I think I finally understand that now..." Virgil could only blink at her, still with the same stupid look of shock.

"Go to bed would you?"

"It's only 8 o'clock!"

"We're leaving tomorrow, aren't we?" She smirked at Virgil's loss of words and scratch of his head.

"I...forgot about that." Victoria smiled again, though her face was starting to hurt. She wasn't used to wide smiles like this. "Then we'll make for Celestic Town, Sinnoh then?" Victoria nodded.

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

Virgil had made it back to his room and immediately sank into the bed. He stared at the ceiling for what seemed to be tens of minutes. It the ten minutes he had left Victoria alone, she had _changed,_ and the fact that the change wasn't a violent one had left him all the more confused and on edge.

The way he felt his heart stop when she smiled at him-for real- had also never happened before. Between them. It was only when he had first met the rich girl.

Juliet.

Virgil sighed.

"Such shitty timing..."

* * *

 ** _A/N: Hey! Long time no see or post! As I've said, I've mostly been working towards finishing "Playboy" though it hasn't been updated yet. I haven't forgotten about Phoenix or it's Sinnoh sequel that is supposed to be in the works (Sorry guys), but I'll be starting "Tales From the Phoenix" as a collection of short stories to try and clear some of the portions that were skipped over (Like Juliet v. Virgil near the end) and stuff like that, so I hope that this will help appease anyone who's looking forward to Phoenix pt.2._**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Route 30, Johto, 88 days before Ecruteak**_

It was both interesting and frustrating. To Virgil, none of Jaret's actions made sense. He actually wondered how long it took Jaret to find out about him in depth like her did, and better yet, travel to Cherrygrove. The thought made Virgil a little uncomfortable, and suspicious at that, taking a bit of a pain to stride ahead of Jaret a little ways.

"You look pensive," came a remark.

"It's fine," Virgil retorted. Jaret sped his walk up next to Virgil.

"I would be more convinced if you weren't pouting so much." Then Jaret sighed. "At least we're re-acquainted right? We can actually get a little move on for training for next years conference!" Jaret was beaming. "Who knows, there could even be smaller conferences in the region we could battle in." Virgil' step slowed to a stop.

"And what makes you think I'll go? What makes you think that I _want_ to go?" Jaret shrugged.

"Call it a hunch. You wouldn't have come so far in the Silver Conference if you didn't, right?" Virgil made a dismissive face

"All of that was just for kicks. I don't really have real motivation to put up that kind of effort again. I'm surprised I even got all the badges I needed." Virgil saw the almost instant shift in Jaret's tone.

"'Just for kicks?'" Virgil assented with a single terse nod and that earned him a venomous glare that he didn't even care to turn to or acknowledged really; Virgil went back to walking, moving at an even faster pace. Anything was better than being talked to death by some self-righteous zealot. Jaret held pace with him. "If none of this mattered, then why did you decided to leave home again?" Virgil ignored him. "If none of this mattered, you would still be at home, right? You would've given up all of your Pokemon. At least, I think you would." Again, Virgil ignored Jaret. There was a huff of annoyance from Jaret. Maybe the guy was finally starting to get it. Virgil heard Jaret stop behind him. "Hey," Virgil stopped, throwing a half glance over his shoulder.

" _What?_ " The two glared at the other for a quick moment before Jaret spoke again.

"If it didn't matter, or if you didn't have the motivation, you wouldn't have been so bummed or embarrassed about last year." Virgil tensed slightly. "You know, the whole thing with your Dewott being wiped out by Arcanine."

"Dewott barely scratched him," Virgil muttered, trying unsuccessfully to remain unfazed.

"That kind of reaction sounds like passion to me." Virgil gave a muffled "huh" and kept about his way.

"It doesn't matter anyway. It's not like you really beat me. For all you know, I couldn't really even been trying." That was a blatant lie, and Virgil figured that Jaret knew it too, but the grunt that followed after that statement seemed nothing less than demeaning.

"Everyone loses Virgil," Jaret started. "Dewott fought really hard, and really good too. But most of your others didn't really stand a chance."

Ouch.

Virgil grumbled annoyed.

"A little arrogant, don't you think?"

"It's closer to being true when none of your Pokemon made it past my first."

That one stung. Virgil grumbled again, this time notably more agitated than he was at first.

"If you're so good, then why didn't you win the cup?"

"Some people are just really good," Jaret stated plainly, almost pointedly. "Others are just really clever." Jaret paused. "I just slipped wasn't really anyone I couldn't handle at the conference. But you were one of the better ones." And then Jaret shrugged. " You just had the bad luck of running into me so early on."

That one struck a chord especially.

"What makes you think I'll respect your offer when you pretty much just spat on me?" Virgil's words were barbed, and his face was twisted into some offense, but he didn't care.

"Spat on you? You're the one who asked," Jaret replied. Virgil growled, irritated.

"Get lost."

"What?"

"I don't even know why I said I'd travel with you. You're annoying." Virgil felt Jaret's hard stare at his back immediately.

"You're such a crybaby about nothing. Just take the damn loss and learn from it."

"You're one to talk," Virgil snapped. "Why don't you practice what you preach and figure out why you didn't when that stupid cup!?" Virgil felt a sharp pain in his lip, through his entire jaw, and realized a second later that Jaret had hit him, and hit him hard.

"That's _exactly_ what I've been doing. I didn't get good enough to sweep trainers or battle champions by complaining." Jaret caught the shift in Virgil's face then, and seconds later realized what he had just told him.

"You…battled a _regional_ champion? And you came back to battle at my level? That's bullshit!"

Jaret pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"Look, if you're really going to whine that much about losing, then you don't have to come. At least show a little bit of respect." Virgil made a face at that, and Jaret added: "And dignity".

"I don't owe you anything," Virgil snarled.

"I'm not asking you for anything," Jaret shot back. " At least, not anymore. I've traveled with you for literally one day and I'm already tired of your moody attitude. Virgil offered him nothing other than a simple shrug.

"So?" Jaret looked at him incredulous.

"So? _**So!?**_ " Jaret quickly grabbed a hold of himself. He had never met such sore loser in his life. "My point is," Jaret continued with a sigh. "is that of you really don't want to be here, then you can turn around at anytime. We're only in the outskirts of Cherrygrove if you're going home." Jaret turned his back, opting to cover more of the trail, and more than a little disgusted at Virgil's attitudes. "It's your call." Virgil grunted, but with no response from Jaret. Virgil stood up and turned his back as well, heading in the direction toward Cherrygrove City.

Jaret was stupid, Virgil thought. Absolutely dumb even. Who was Jaret to think that he would travel with him? After he had beaten him so easily? After Jaret made him look so pathetic? Why would anyone traveling with a trainer that made a fool of them on international television? Jaret was an idiot for sure.

But even so, the situation was strange for Virgil. Most people would have found Virgil's attitudes not just annoying, but insufferable. Most people would have left far earlier than Jaret did. Virgil was surprised that Jaret had hit him square in the face like he did, and kept on as if nothing happened. What was more, was that Jaret was hardly even mad. Annoyed and irritated, sure, but the trainer was nowhere near angry, and that led Virgil to his next thought: How did that trainer put up with him?

In a way, Virgil had even made a game out of it and there had been times where he had deliberately tried to push Jaret to his breaking point, but found that the trainer was resilient and persistent. It was even stranger when Virgil had a slight thought to keep him around if only to piss him off. Or at least, he'd try; Virgil found that she actually missed it.

When Virgil first arrived in Cherrygrove, he had immediately set out for home and nearly came through the door. At least, he felt like he did.

"Virgil, is that you?"

"Yeah mom," Virgil replied, half-grunted really. "It's me." His mother came into sight, hands in her hips with a knowing look; Virgil frowned.

"You know, it's painful to see you like this." Virgil bit his lip.

"Mom, everyone saw me…And not only that, it was the _entire_ world. My reputation got destroyed before it even started really…" His mother sighed.

"Yeah, probably." She folded her arms, and Virgil prepared himself for the very valid point she was preparing to make. She always did something like that when she was. "Everyone saw you," she paused. "And you got wrecked." Virgil shot his mom a peculiar, confused look. Something between disbelief at her attempt at slang and grinning.

"Mom, don't." Her voice tightened.

"But seriously, everyone may have seen you, but everyone also knew who Jaret King was." Virgil blinked at her. His mother did say something about "who Jaret was" before he set out with the guy yesterday.

"I've never heard of him."

"Yes you have. Or you've at least seen him. More than likely, everyone was paying attention to him and his style." Virgil sighed. Even coming from his own mother, the words were still harsh.

"So you're saying I never stood a chance?"

"Of course you had a chance," she countered. "It was just very slim. And a lot of people already figured you would lose."

"Not helping mom." She chuckled at that, but Virgil kept from facing her.

"Virgil, look at me." Virgil did as told, and looked away immediately.

"Mom, I'm 19. I'm a little bit old to be babied."

"Then maybe you should stop pouting like one." Virgil grumbled. "Virgil, look at me." Her voice was stone, and again, Virgil did as told. "You were swept. Beaten very quickly and under 10 minutes no doubt." She paused. "But, you have you have your own style and skill. You've placed in the top 16, and what's more, is that you've swept other trainers just like Jaret's done to you."

"But on worldwide television?" His mother shook her head.

"Maybe not, but you've wiped out trainers before, haven't you?" Virgil tried his best to keep from smiling.

"Yeah, I guess you're right…"

"But still," his mother began, as stern as ever. "You need to stay humble." Virgil's smile faded. "What goes up usually gets knocked down, right?" Virgil nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I'll try to remember that…" Virgil sighed and went to walk past her, back to his room.

"Virgil, I'm serious." He kept his back to her, actually afraid at what her expression could be. "Every trainer has been beaten badly at some point in their career."

"Even you?" She nodded.

"Even me." And if I've been beaten badly, then so has Jaret. You're not the only one who's been through this." Virgil kept his back turned, but tossed her a look over his shoulder. Her face was normal, but he could see the traces of a smirk at the edges of her lips; she knew.

"You've lost that badly? You, Alice Tonelico, lost _that_ badly?" His mother nodded again.

"Yeah, I have."

"Who could actually beat you that bad?"

"They were actually a good old friend of mine."

"Do you remember their name?" That prompted a grin out of Alice.

"Her name was Maria, and she was a damn good trainer." She laughed. " The point I'm trying to make, is that she beat me. Really bad. But I learned from that, and I know you can too." Virgil was quiet before asking timidly:

"You think so?" Alice nodded.

"You've seem the trophy from the Lily of the Valley Conference." Virgil nodded.

"Yeah. I even remember finding those old tapes of that conference and watching your battles…"

"And all of that came _after_ Maria crushed me, and that was because I figured I would learn from losing." Alice paused yet again, this time with a certain caution; she weighed her next words carefully before speaking. "I even was offered a position with the Elite Four now that I think about it…" Virgil felt his jaw drop.

"At 14!?"

"Yeah, yeah," Alice gave a wave of her hand. " But that was so long ago. 23 years ago to be exact." She smiled fondly at the memory. "Virgil, you don't have to be like me, you know." Virgil's eyes widened.

"Who said I was trying?"

"I know you are," came Alice's matter-of-fact tone. "And if anything, I would prefer that my son does something that makes him happy than trying to live up to his parents."

"But…mom…"

"Is that clear?" Virgil didn't answer. Alice repeated. " _Is that clear?_ " Virgil managed a mutter.

"Yeah…" Alice sighed then, catching Virgil's attention. She was grinning at him, with that same smirk. She probably knew everything he was thinking. She was probably where he got the talent from anyway.

"Go ahead, Virgil. You're going do something better than me. I know it." The smile on Virgil's face was instant.

"Okay mom, you win." Virgil took a deep breath and for a quick second thought on his mother. She seemed to always know what to say. She had to, he supposed. His father was far too busy dealing with Unova policies.

"Virgil," he came back to attention. "Is that clear," Alice repeated, Virgil nodded.

"Yeah mom. I'll make you proud." And Virgil was back out the door again, a fire renewed in his chest.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Charicific Valley, 84 days before Ecruteak**_

Arcanine's speed had improved, and Lucario's Close Combat had also gotten better. Following closely in results were Pidgeot and Eevee. Leavanny was in her usual place on the sidelines watching attentively for any wounds.

It had been like this the moment he stepped into the valley. Jaret and Viola had been carried here by Juliet's Charizard, the one she called "Casanova". Her Charizard was nothing to worry about in his eyes. What actually really bothered Jaret was the fact that he had _slipped_. Pidgeot was more than capable of dealing with Casanova. In fact, both he and Pidgeot had gone to work, detailing a method to dismantle the dragon. He had only pulled his punches because Casanova had Viola in his claws. Blast Burn at Casanova's level was potent, but still not nearly as bad as he had seen it.

On the other hand, was that mysterious "Ryuu". From the moment Jaret had seen him, he knew the man was stronger. Stronger than any trainer he had ever met. Well, barring Sinnoh's Cynthia. Seeing Ryuu's Salamence clash head-on with Dragonite and hold his ground was something that was very rare and impressive. The battle over Violet City often echoed in Jaret's mind, and had been especially prevalent lately.

The thing was, was that Ryuu didn't even seem fazed.

It made Jaret wonder about Virgil last year. Was this what Virgil had been feeling when Jaret wiped him out? And the sweep was broadcasted publicly at that. It hadn't occurred to Jaret how hard Virgil must've worked only to be swept aside so effortlessly. Jaret wouldn't know. It hadn't happened to him.

At least, not until Ryuu anyway.

The fight had ended in a stalemate, but Jaret had known better. Had Ryuu actually battled him, then Jaret would have ended up exactly as Virgil had. It finally clicked to Jaret that perhaps that was _why_ Virgil was so bitter, especially with him. The thought of having gone no where both irritated and terrified Jaret. But this feeling was nothing training couldn't fix, right?

"You're at it again, Jaret…" Jaret turned, and found Viola standing a little ways from him, staring. "It's not a good idea to work your Pokemon so hard."

"No," came Jaret's short reply. "But they're fine for the time being. This session isn't nearly as long as the rest."

"Jaret, you've been at this—"

"Since we got here. I know, Viola." He paused, realizing that he had said that a little more sharply than intended. Jaret turned to apologize, but the expression Viola returned to him was unperturbed, and unmoving. Perhaps even a little austere.

"Jaret, I know that you're a nice person." Her voice softened a little. "I can already tell that something is bothering you." Jaret felt hos breath hitch.

"You think so?"

"I know so. I've even said something to Virgil about it." Jaret tensed guiltily, relaxing seconds after with a sigh.

"I wouldn't believe you if I hadn't heard the guy call me a 'friend'." Jaret took a deep breath and his voice came out steady "You must've seen me look at you in Violet City."

"More than once," Viola added. " And in the two days we've known each other, I've learned that you are not tense like this." Jaret frowned. "You seem like you're usually more laid back." She already knew, Jaret figured, and he let out an unconvincing chuckle.

"I know you know why."

"It's Ryuu."

"It is," Jaret conceded. "He's just…on a completely different level."

"And you can't stand it?" Jaret shook his head. "It's not that," Virgil came to mind. "It's just that I've never been beaten so thoroughly…"

"But he didn't beat you," Viola corrected. "It was a stalemate wasn't it?" Jaret nodded then.

"Yeah it was, but his Salamence could've razed the entire city if he wanted too…But Ryuu and Sagark both pulled their punches to get a good read on me, and I fell for it…" Jaret felt himself growing more irritated by the minute. "I should've known that me and Arcanine didn't fool that Blaziken." Jaret growled under his breath. "Shinobu took the loss by choice! And Ryuu wasn't even fazed by it!" All of Jaret's Pokemon stopped to stare, and only Arcanine came to comfort his trainer; Viola also placed a comforting hand on hos shoulder.

"Jaret, it was your first experience with someone that strong, and you weren't beaten. Think of this as testing him, just like how he had been testing you." Viola felt Jaret relax a little. "You should rest," she continued. Jaret fixed her with a hard stare, a sentiments that Viola returned unflinching. Jaret's expression was plain, though Viola could feel the emotion frothing just beneath the surface. Jaret sighed finally.

"Yeah, okay…" And Viola watched as Jaret called all of his Pokemon back to their balls, turning to stare at her again. And again, Viola held firm. They each stared for what seemed to be ages.

"What is it," Viola quipped. Jaret flashed her a genuine smile.

"Just…thanks…I really appreciate it." Viola suddenly felt Jaret's larger hands clasping around hers. "I can tell that you're a good person too, and I'm going to have your back like how you've had mine today." He was beaming now, Viola noticed. "So…thanks…" Jaret was just as suddenly gone and heading back to the cabins. Viola watched him go, sitting behind for a moment before following. His smile had been jovial, friendly and genuine. But still, Viola couldn't help but feel something was so horribly wrong.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Ecruteak City_**

 ** _80 days before Fall of Ecruteak,_**

* * *

" _ **I'm going to make him pay…!"**_ She grimaced at the remark, and was strange in itself. Adding to that, was that the voice was disembodied, ethereal and thick with rage. Honovi couldn't help but think of her mother, who would often remind her that "Alphs are uncommon these days". Honovi's mother had passed those words onto her just as Honovi's grandmother had passed them on to her mother. At this point, Honovi was just careful who knew such a fact about her.

Hearing that ethereal rage had caught Honovi's attention and made her blood shiver. The rage had came from the shaggy, mean looking one that she had caught sight of only miles outside of Ecruteak alongside his group of friends. Whenever Honovi was able to steal a glance at him, the voice would reappear, snapping vulgarities and threats. Sometimes it even felt like they were directed at her in particular, though Honovi was soon able to write that off as typical anger. Honovi took to watching everything that the boy did with unheard of dedication, carefully placing herself in places where she could see him without being the slightest bit suspected.

She watched his behavior.

She watched his actions.

She watched his interactions.

She watched everything that she could to figure where the voice came from and exactly what that mean looking boy had to do with it.

Ethereal usually dealt with ghostly things, and ghosts were usually dead, and Honovi would usually end up obsessing about "death" in particular.

It was that exact reason that had led Honovi to standing outside of the Pokemon Center in Ecruteak skulking for more info.

The only problem was that Honovi forgot about other people sometimes.

"Can I help you?" a voice asked.

"No, thank you," Honovi replied airily "I'm a little busy." Honovi kept her eyes glued to the building windows in hopes of finding that ethereal boy; Honovi felt a hand on her shoulder.

"That wasn't an actual question." The voice was more commanding now, and Honovi turned around.

It was the Ecruteak gym leader, Morty.

Honovi paused, at first timidly then confidently. It typically wasn't Honovi's style, but there was something different about Morty. The only thing Honovi could think would be that she was immediately comfortable with him.

He was the Ecruteak gym leader and a seer in-training at that.

"Morty?" Honovi forced a laugh, and Morty glared at her unconvinced.

"If you don't mind me asking, who are you and what are you doing here?" Honovi eyed the gym leader for a moment, gauging what to say.

Instead, she turned back to the Poke-Center window to observe even more. "Hey, did you hear me!?"

"Yeah, yeah," Honovi replied dully. "Honovi of Lavender Town." Honovi muttered something under her breath. It didn't seem like the guy was there. She turned back to Morty. "Where the dead go to not die." Morty's glare didn't change.

"You still haven't answered why you're here."

"That's because I'm in the middle of something." Honovi retorted.

"Really?"

"Yeah." There was a subtle quivering in Morty's body that Honovi saw. Morty's glare shifted and Honovi watched as Morty's eyes darted about her feature. To her hair, eyes and skin; she suddenly felt very exposed.

Honovi threw her hood up over her face and tightened it. The damn thing never stayed up when she needed it to.

"Can I ask you something?" Honovi tensed a bit.

"Yeah?"

"Why are you creeping around like this? Things like this can ruin tourism for cities, especially Ecruteak." Honovi nearly buckled at the rush of relief. The Alph was quick on her feet.

"I'm…a part of the Pokemon Fanclub Association." Honovi relaxed even further when she saw Morty pinch the bridge of his nose with exasperation. That was a good sign.

A really good sign.

"I see…" Morty sighed. " I understand you may have seen some up and coming trainers, but this borders om stalking. Besides…"

Morty's voice faded out suddenly, and instead she caught word of a familiar one.

The ethereal one.

" _ **I'm going to make him pay…!"**_

Honovi had heard the very same phrase even, and in an instant, her blood was boiling with excitement and curiosity. Honovi bolted towards the voice immediately. This was her chance to observe that boy too.

Why was that voice coming from him?

Did he know?

Could he be haunted?

Honovi suddenly remembered Morty, and she could hear his voice behind her, calling after her; Morty was going to wait.

There was an abrupt tug on her arm. Again, she spun around and found the same pair of eyes staring at her. Apparently, she hasn't been moving as fast she thought.

His eyes were even more piercing and discerning, and this time around, Honovi felt as though he were staring through her.

"I'm curious," he began smoothly. Honovi opened her mouth to object, but Morty quickly shut her down. "Before you say anything, answer me first." Honovi only stared. She knew what he was going to ask. "What did you hear?"

"I'm not crazy, if that's what you're thinking. I'm just tired all the time. I don't get too much sleep in all honesty."

"That's not what I'm saying," Morty replied. "I'm asking because I know the Pokemon Fanclub thing is a complete lie." Honovi raised a brow.

"And how do you know that?"

" Because contests are more popular in Johto. I would be a little more convinced if you said The Pokemon Contest Association. The Pokemon Fan Club is all about Pokemon battling, and that's a relatively small niche in Johto." Honovi felt as though she shrunk under his eyes at that moment. Morty asked her a second time then.

"What did you hear?" Honovi's answer was the same.

"I didn't hear anything." Morty glared.

"I find that hard to believe. Alphs are rumored to be able to do all sorts of things. Especially things that deal with death."

The shock that registered on Honovi's face was impossible to hide. It hadn't registered that Morty had been observing her features until the last minute.

"I guess you would know," Honovi conceded. "You're from Ecruteak, and the gym leader at that."

"Blood-colored hair and mossy eyes are the typical Alph trademarks." Morty replied. "But more importantly, what did you hear?"

Honovi sighed.

"Can we just skip that?" Morty shook his head.

"Not a chance. This is more important than you realize. I have to know what you heard." He paused, then added, "Or rather, _who_ did you hear?"

The shift on Honovi was phenomenal. Reflex kicked in, and she had already made space between her and the leader, hands in her hoodie at the ready. Morty stood casually, with little concern, if any.

"You'll lose," was all he said.

"You're asking all the wrong questions and making all the wrong statements," Honovi remarked.

"You'll lose," Morty repeated. "And honestly, this whole thing is pointless. I only need to know foe the sake of the region." Honovi held his gaze again, her eyes narrow.

"Really?" Morty nodded.

"The world doesn't care about old Alph Traditions. I'm not sure what lore was passed onto you, but whatever it was, the world stopped caring a long time ago. No one really believes in Alph anything outside of Ecruteak, and even here, it's a stretch." Honovi was still rigid. Her thumb hung over the ball button just in case. Morty put his hands up in surrender. "Trust me." Honovi's thumb trembled; Honovi sighed.

"I heard something ghostly, ethereal and angry. The thing is that I only hear it when I get close to a certain person. I ran into him on the outskirts of Ecruteak and he was roaming with some friends before hand." Honovi saw the open expression of intrigue on Morty's face, which made Honovi react the same way.

"Do you have any idea what or who it could've been?"

"You're taking me seriously?" Morty nodded without hesitation.

"I told you, there are some things that people in Ecruteak are more sensitive to than the rest of the region. Do you know where the voice was headed?" Honovi took a moment to recollect her thoughts.

"I'm pretty sure towards downtown. The gym maybe?" Morty muttered something under his breath and Honovi's brow twitched in recognition.

"Thank you," Morty said with a nod and he sped off past her back towards his gym. She watched as Morty grew smaller in the distance. Somewhere during that, it had dawned on Honovi that this was her chance to get close to that voice she kept hearing, as well as get to understand the boy who it was coming from. Besides, something didn't quite feel right leaving Morty to go back alone; Honovi was following soon after.

* * *

By the time she had caught up, Honovi immediately took cover. As she did so, she could hear Morty and a very agitated second person.

It was the mean kid. For a moment, she had expected his friends to come to the gym with him, especially the other boy, Jaret, if she remembered correctly.

"You're Morty," the boy spat.

"And you must be the vagabond Virgil that Falkner was talking about." Honovi stifled her response. That was the guy's name: Virgil. She continued to listen in.

"How do you even know if I'm the right guy?" Morty reiterated himself.

"And you must be the vagabond that _**Falkner**_ was talking about." Virgil growled irritably, and almost immediately, the voice had come back full force.

" _He's the first! Kill him so I can get out!"_ Honovi grimaced. _**"I'm going to make them pay…!"** _ The voice had been so virulent, so angry that it had actually given Honovi a bit of a headache. If her grandma were here, she would know what to do.

Honovi heard a sudden loud crash, pulling her attention back to the gym. Again, Honovi had to stifle her reaction. Virgil had slammed the gym leader against the building. For a moment, Honovi was genuinely convinced that Morty was going to die.

"...Listen. I know I'm not nice and I don't try to be…"

The same voice came back, even worse.

" _Kill him! Worshipers will get it the worst!"_ As if to counter those exact words, Morty spoke, cool and controlled, bringing Honovi back into reality again. It was almost like he knew she was there. She paused.

Did he?

"The anger you feel is not your own." Honovi watched for Virgil's response intensely then and had even gone to chanting to herself some old Alph "magic" her grandma used to practice. According to her mother, Alph magic was _very_ real.

Abruptly, Virgil was coughing and sputtering for air, and Honovi for a fleeting moment thought that the magic may have actually worked. She found that she was quickly mistaken, as the voice came back again.

" _I'll do it myself then! And I will kill you along with the rest of them!"_

Honovi was stunned and if she were honest, a little unhinged. She watched as the conversation cooled, and watched even closer after Virgil slipped away in a haze of withdrawn fear and confusion. Morty turned to her exact direction and Honovi held perfectly still.

"You can come out now."

 _Damn,_ she thought. He really did know she was there.

"How long have you known I was there?"

" For a little bit. Gengars are pretty impressive." It was a sentiment Honovi could agree too. Though he wasn't a Gengar, Haunter was very talented in an abstract manner.

"You must want to know what that conversation was all about, right?" Honovi hesitated a slight bit but nodded.

"If you don't mind?"

"Not at all. Actually, when the Violet City leader gave me a heads up about that kid, he had told me that he caused a ruckus at the Sprout Tower in the city. The Elder at the Tower got attacked. Some of the monks even say he was 'possessed' by something."

"Is that why you kept asking me about what or who I was hearing?" Morty nodded.

"Falkner even talked with one of his friends, Jaret, about Virgil. Apparently, Virgil is rowdy and stand-offish, but not really violent or rage-induced like he was just now. So I figured that his feelings aren't really his own and were coming from someone else…" Honovi felt Morty's eyes and from that alone, she knew what he was preparing to ask.

"You want to know if I heard any voices, or saw anything," she remarked quietly." Morty nodded.

"Well…did you…?" Honovi nodded; Morty went quiet.

"You seem like you want to ask something."

"I do," the leader admitted. " But I really don't know how to go about it." Honovi frowned. Again, she already knew where the conversation was headed. " Alphs used to be referred to as 'Dreamers' a long time ago. I'm not too keen on how to bring the dead to an Alph. It would feel like I'm generalizing." An awkward silence settled between them. One, two, three moments floated by.

"I saw something," Honovi stated and Morty snapped to attention. "It wasn't much, but I saw a face of some kind."

"A…face?"

"Yeah. He was young, and had the same expressions like Virgil when he was threatening you. Despite looking so young, there was a massive understanding behind his eyes." Honovi paused, weighing her next words cautiously. " I'm pretty certain that this 'face' is the voice I keep hearing when I get close enough to Virgil. It seems like it's always screaming to get out. There was even something said about killing you for being a 'worshiper'." Honovi was almost floored at how Morty's face changed.

"This isn't good…" Honovi raised her brows.

"That wasn't the reaction I was expecting." Morty ignored the comment and instead turned to Honovi with the most hard stare Honovi had gotten from him yet.

Morty was very grave.

"Excuse me…"

"Honovi," she filled in.

"Honovi, can I ask you a favor?" Honovi fixed him with a stare of her own. "Can I ask you to keep an eye on them? Virgil especially?"

"Virgil especially, huh?" Morty nodded.

"I think we both have a solid understanding that something is mythical about Virgil, and maybe even the friends he's made. I would do this myself but I can't leave because of my position. If I were to leave under these circumstances, Johto would go into chaos." Honovi raised a brow skeptically.

"You want me to follow them because if you do, Johto will riot? I find that hard to believe."

"They will," Morty affirmed. "If a Johto leader takes a prolonged period of leave, it can be assumed that a crisis is brewing, and we can't have the public, especially in places like Goldenrod knowing about this. These are things they do not and would not understand." Honovi stepped away.

"I don't know, Morty. We've only just met and this task seems a little over my head and-"

"But I know I can trust you," Morty interrupted, almost pleaded. "I know I can trust you. If you are an Alph then know you know about has happened to your people." Honovi turned back to him with a slow nod of understanding.

"You're talking about…"

"The Alph Genocide and Silver Mountain. Yes…"

"And you think that Virgil might be afflicted with a vengeful spirit or something…"

"A particular one at that…" The last part had made Honovi silent. She was thinking long and thinking hard.

"One question, Morty." He raised his brows. "Do you have a name for this specific ghost?" Morty answered without hesitation.

"Marus." Honovi nodded in understanding. Her grandma always mentioned that name whenever she recounted her version of the Silver Mountain legend, and more time than not, her grandma's words held true.

"Alright, Morty. You've got yourself a deal."


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Oh hey look, a full year since posting anything. I've been extremly sluggish in doing literally anything on this site the past...however long, but I'm not dead. Astral is still being worked on, and Playboy is also still being worked on so no worries there. I've been trying my hardest to re-capture the feel of both of those fics and whatnpt. I'm sorry for anybody who have been waiting for an entire year for any sort of update.  
**_

 _ **In case they are still active and wandering around here, I would like to give a supe special thanks to everyone who allowed me to use their OC's for Phoenix and I'm deeply appreciative of that. It's definitely one of the things that keeps me and this story going.!**_

* * *

 _ **Ecruteak City**_

 _ **80 days Before Ecruteak**_

* * *

She blinked a few times, making sure that she was really seeing what she thought she was, making sure that she was really sitting there in bed in a Poke-Center, that she wasn't imagining it. Seria's eyes came into focus just as her ears tuned into a deeply foreign and almost brooding voice.

"Miss Day, you look lost, and I apologize for this sudden intrusion, but I really do have something to speak with you about." Seria then suddenly became acutely aware that she was staring at someone, a stern looking young man maybe two or three years older than she was. He was sitting next to her bedside, looking caught between the strange middle ground of being distant and attentive.

The situation registered in Seria's head, and she rolled back over the words that he had just said moments before. That was right. He had said something about "needing to speak with her" even earlier than now. Seria realized then that she had to have been even more disoriented than she was now; she really didn't remember anything besides this man's "need to speak with her".

More of his face came into focus and Seria's eyes were soon darting every way about him, taking in his lightly tanned skin, and messy, somewhat lengthy hair that dropped down enough to nearly touch his shoulders. He stood suddenly, as if he knew that she were observing him and the sudden movement had almost startled Seria, but she held firm and her eyes continued over him.

He looked strong.

He seemed to dress in a way that only subtly implied his pure power, with simple purple and blue laced sneakers, simple blue jeans and blue shirt that was simply styled with a single purple stripe running through the base of the collar. Over that, he wore even more purple, a jacket with a blue stripe running down each side the sleeves. The man really enjoyed his purple it seemed. Something tugged at Seria and she lifted her eyes to his. They were a nice, if not deceiving grey-blue, and they wore an unerring expression, much like the rest of him.

Seria must have blanked out again, as a shuttering _click!_ had caught her unaware. She re-focused again and found a small blue digital camera resting expertly in Ryuu's hands. Seria felt a grin tug at her lips.

"You like photography? I wouldn't have guessed it just from looks." She chuckled lightly, though the man gave no response. "But," Seria looked over herself. She had suffered some burns, but not as bad as she would have thought. She remembered stepping to shield the Dewott that she had spitefully 'stolen' for lack of a better word, and being encased in fire. The more Seria thought on it, the more she realized that she really shouldn't even be alive at all. "I don't think I'm really in any condition for a photo shoot…" Some places on her arms were bad, the skin bubbling and peeling. Other places on her body were less irritated, only coloring her skin a few shades red. Seria checked her face, finding that her cheeks burned violently, but were not at all sensitive to touch or really warped at all for that matter.

"You're fine," was all the man said. Seria lifted her eyes back to him. She took a breath to respond; he interjected. "You're face isn't burned or anything, so you're fine. And even if it were, it wouldn't matter." Seria's response was small.

"You think?"

"I know." Seria raised her brows at that. "Any moment and every moment is the perfect time for a photo. Candid shots are the best, and the most authentic." He paused as if to think for a moment, and Seria began to see that this man wasn't as intimidating as he dressed himself to be. In truth, Seria had already had an idea that he was nothing like he dressed. He was kind at heart and in this moment, it was truly beginning to show. "Authentic is the only way anything or anyone should ever be, and it's the only way any one can capture the world and its entirety in a photo. Anything less is more or less a lie. Plain and simple."

The grin at the edge of Seria's lips grew wider, she felt it. It grew even wider still when she caught the sparse flicker of emotion that also tugged at the man's mouth. He suddenly let out a small laugh, something that Seria wasn't fully expecting.

"I'm sorry. I tend to get a little caught up in myself at times." He paused again. "At least, when it comes to photography."

"Or authentically sharing yourself with others," Seria added in confidence. She heard the man let out a breathy "yeah" in response, as if he couldn't quite believe it, almost like he hadn't met anyone like her. "You know," Seria started. "I never got your name." The young man looked down at his feet boyishly and a little bashfully.

"I apologize." He put his hand out. "I'm Ryuu. Ryuu Sinclair. It's nice to formally meet you, Miss Day." Seria took his hand, wincing audibly as she shook it but she tried her best to smile through the pain; her burns were more extensive than she thought she supposed.

"You already seem to know who I am, but…I'm Seria Day. It's nice to meet you as well." Ryuu slid his hand free shortly after, but was quiet and Seria figured that he didn't really know where to go from there. Seria was just as lost if she were honest, but she figured that an awkward conversation was definitely better than an awkward silence.

"So…Ryuu…you said you needed to talk with me? It sounds important…" She watched as Ryuu's face darkened a great deal, his smile fading into replete sternness.

"Yeah, about that…" The man's voice grew deeper, even more brooding. It seemed to Seria that he had completely forgotten about why he had come here in the first place, and it seemed as though he would have rather have been there talking to her about photography. Seria figured that that was exacty what he would rather be doing.

"Oh, um… Ryuu, we can talk about something else if you want. We don't have totalk about it right now. We can wait, can't we?" Ryuu shook his head.

"I would like that, but…" She felt his eyes wander over her this time, making note of how his eyes hanged over each of the places where she could feel her burns, and how they glided from mark to mark. "I can't do that." He finished.

"You can't?" Ryuu shook his head again.

"I can't. Someone attacked you, didn't they?" Seria tensed a little, but did her best to speak evenly.

"Yeah…? Do you…know something about it?" Seria saw the thoughts passing over Ryuu, each one like a shadow.

"You seem a little frightened." Seria frowned. He had said that a little defensively. "I must scare you, huh" He was staring at her in completeness, barely moving, barely blinking. Seria shook her head now, her frowned lining her face even deeper. She spoke, her voice soft.

"If you scared me, then I wouldn't be here now. And I would have never even _tried_ to have a conversation. Since we've been talking, I figured that who you really are is nothing like how you dress. I think everyone deserves a chance." Seria offered him a timid smile, her voice softening even more. "I just…have a hard time with people in general. So please don't take it personally…" Seria noted that Ryuu seemed to relax then.

"I'm…glad," was all he said.

They each fell into silence then, which wasn't quite as awkward as she had thought it would be though Seria had curiosity burning in her chest. Seria suddenly turned to him, a definite urgency coating her posture and her tone.

"Ryuu, can I ask you something?" He stared at her, only giving her a curt nod and silence. "You seem like you're a very guarded person, and I feel like that stern look you seem to were so much isn't what your face really looks like. I might be prying when I ask and I'm sorry but…what happened to you?"

Ryuu closed his eyes and Seria wasn't sure if he were taking time to think or if he were simply going to ignore her.

"We've only just met." Another curt and defensive reply.

"Yeah, but you seem to know a little bit about me…" Ryuu chuckled in response to that.

"You are a Coordinator aren't you? I'm more or less a photographer. Is it really so strange that I may know a few things about you?" Seria's breath caught. That was a really strong point he had made just now.

"Does that mean you were at the Violet City contest?" He nodded. "Then have you been following me this whole time?" Seria watched him closely as he took a moment to respond.

"I wouldn't say I've been following you, but that we were simply going to the same place." He was holding her eyes again, and Seria felt a tingle up her spine that made her want to turn away. He was probably trying to scare her for whatever reason, but Seria would not let him drive her away.

"You definitely came here with something in mind though." Ryuu conceded.

"That's true, and that was also after I had heard that some kind of chaos had gone on in Ecruteak." Seria felt her breath catch a second time. Everything was slowly coming together, which probably meant that Ryuu was here because of her battle with the mystery trainer that had come to take Dewott.

"What kind of chaos," Seria asked.

"More than likely the same chaos that left you unconscious in the middle of the street in Ecruteak." Seria winced inwardly at the stern but honest remark. She saw Ryuu's features soften then. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so stern. It's just…" He paused again and Seria waited for him. Ryuu took a deep breath.

"Hey," Seria caught his attention and for what seemed to be the dozen-th time, their eyes caught again. "It's okay. This is important." Ryuu's face shifted, and his lips twitched, at first into a half-smile, then into a melancholic grimace; he held her eyes all the same.

"I feel as though I know who came after you." Seria blinked at him incredulously.

"You do?"

"I think so. Did whoever attack you say anything about who they are?"

"No," Seria said with a shake of her head. "They didn't say anything about who they were or why they wanted steal from me." Another dark shadow passed over Ryuu's features, something that Seria was growing rapidly accustomed to.

"You said ' _steal'_? As in thievery?" Seria nodded again. "What kind of Pokemon did she use?" Seria rose a brow.

"Well, actually, 'she' was a 'he' He looked really young too, but he was pretty aggressive for being that young…" Ryuu was still holding her eyes, unflinching and undeterred, for only a few seconds longer before smoothly gliding them away. Seria heard him mutter something. "Is something wrong Ryuu?" He didn't answer. "Do you _know_ them?" Seria's voice sharpened marginally. Ryuu still didn't reply. "Ryuu, could you please answer me?" moments flittered by before he finally responded.

"I do know who came after you." His body was facing Seria now, but he kept his eyes averted. At first, Seria felt betrayed and lied to, despite not even really knowing this person all that well. Seria went to speak before she caught herself. SRyuu knew who her attacker was, but that didn't mean he sent him after her. In fact, Seria didn't know much about Ryuu or this mystery attacker. Her anger wilted and a gentle curiosity settled in its place.

"You know them," was all Seria allowed herself to say.

"I do," Ryuu conceded. "I know them pretty well."

"Do you know his name?" Ryuu chuckled, morose in tone.

"The kid who came after you was probably a kid named Cody. Cody Frost, and he was probably sent after you by his 'sister' Victoria Reed." Silence settled again between them. "You must be thinking that I'm a thief also." Seria shook her head.

"I don't know what or who you are, so I'll just sit here and let you tell me." She saw Ryuu grin genuinely at that.

"Thank you."

"'Thank you'?" Ryuu nodded.

"A lot of people are actually frightened by my appearance and how I choose to dress, and even more frightened at what you think is not my 'real face'."

"The stern look," Seria added lightly.

"Yeah," Ryuu nodded. Seria smiled at him, opening up to a genuine and chaste laughter.

"I'm guessing that's why you seems a little defensive about a lot of things?" Again, Ryuu nodded.

"I'll tell you all about it."

"Good!" Seria's reply had been unusually peppy, a little explosive even. She wondered if Ryuu's face had changed in surprise; she hadn't been watching. "I'm glad that I can help you out too…" Seria was still grinning, and she felt as though she were actually glowing for the first time outside of a contest competition. "I think we're going to be good friends, Ryuu." He slid a cool expression her way.

"You think?" Seria nodded.

"I know." Ryuu laughed, and again it was something that took Seria by surprise. He _actually_ laughed.

"Well, if we're going to be great friends, then I think I should tell you everything that I know about Cody and Victoria." Seria decided to jibe at him then, to give him a free shot.

"You think?" Ryuu smiled.

"I know."


End file.
